


triggered

by Quillium



Series: at least the war is over [5]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-02
Updated: 2019-02-02
Packaged: 2019-10-21 06:31:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17637572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quillium/pseuds/Quillium
Summary: “Could you—not—use that word?”“Oh my god,” Peter hears Cindy Moon mutter, “He’s one of those people?”





	triggered

**Author's Note:**

> I want to preface by saying that I get that some people use the word triggered in joking contexts and I'm not judging you, it just happens to make me, personally, uncomfortable, and I just happen to use fanfic to sort out my thoughts. Please don't get mad at me in the comments. (Also, yet another super drabble-y and short fic in the same incoherent and weird vein as _anger_.)

“Could you—not—use that word?”

“…what, triggered?” Betty Brant raises an eyebrow, “Why not?”

“Oh my god,” Peter hears Cindy Moon mutter, “He’s one of _those_ people?”

Ears burning, Peter says, “Because—y’know, some people don’t like it.”

“…So?”

“…So you shouldn’t use it.”

“Look, man,” Betty frowns, “I’m not going to change my language for a reason like ‘because some people don’t like it’. Like if someone had a reason, or it made them uncomfortable, sure, but everyone says stuff like triggered. It’s not a big deal. Unless you’ve got a reason?”

And Peter does, sort of, but his heart’s in his throat and his lungs burn so he doesn’t speak.

MJ shoots him a Look, but thankfully, doesn’t speak, instead clapping her hands and diverting everyone’s attention with a snappy, “Look alive, people, this is Decathlon practice, not Snoozeville.”

* * *

“It’s dumb,” Peter mutters.

“Well, yeah,” MJ examines her nails, “The word _triggered_ as casual slang has slipped easily into the language of our generation, similar to the degradation of the word _awesome_ from something used to describe something awe-inspiring, like God, to something that means ‘cool’ willy-nilly. Getting offended over something like its everyday usage is pretty stupid.”

“Great,” Peter rolls his eyes, “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” MJ says. There’s a pause, and then she sighs, “If you want people to stop using it, you’ll have to actually use that brain of yours and come up with a coherent, understandable reason for them to stop using it.”

“It’s not—it’s fine, hearing it.” Peter swallows the lump in his throat. “I mean, not—not _okay_. But I get it, you know? It’s just—everyone at Decathlon—I never thought anyone there would say something like that.”

MJ is silent for a moment, and then, with a constructed lightness, “I’m not abusing my power to prevent the others from saying it at practice.”

“I know, it’s just—“ Peter rolls onto his side and tries to place the feeling in his chest. He finds that he can’t. “It’s nothing.”

MJ sighs at him, like she does when she thinks that he’s being particularly dumb, but says nothing. Peter thinks he might be thankful.

* * *

“It’s not uncommon for people to be uncomfortable with others using words like _triggered_ in improper context,” Fengchi tosses a bouncy ball at Peter, “How do you plan to deal with this?”

Peter catches the ball and tosses it from hand to hand. “I can just ignore it.”

The ball goes to Fengchi, who purses his lips, “And if someone who you were comfortable with says it? Someone who you thought you could be yourself with?”

The ball lands in Peter’s hands and he stares at it for a moment before mumbling, “It’s not a big deal,” and tossing it back to Fengchi.

“Maybe not to others,” Fengchi shrugs, “But it could be a big deal to you and not others.”

“It’s stupid,” Peter drags his fingers through his hair.

“Remember to look at yourself in third person, Peter. You aren’t looking at _how much can I compartmentalize this_ , you’re looking at ‘if someone that I cared about was in this kind of situation, would I write it off so easily’?”

“Right,” Peter tries to think of how he’d react if Tony said that a word made him feel uncomfortable. “So it’s not a not big deal—but it’s not like I can just make everyone stop saying it.”

“Mm,” Fengchi agrees, “But what _can_ you do, to start?”

“Well…”

* * *

“So our main issue is that the word triggered makes you upset,” Flash says, putting together a blank puzzle on the floor of Peter’s bedroom, “But your anxiety is keeping you from speaking up about it.”

“I wouldn’t say that it’s _anxiety_ , exactly—“

Flash opens his mouth and holds up a finger.

“—Okay, fine, point,” Peter groans. “I just—yeah.”

“Yeah,” Flash echoes, with a disturbing sense of understanding. “So how are you going to handle it if you can’t handle confrontation?”

Peter groans into his pillow, “I wish I knew.”

* * *

“Well, why does it bother you?” Tony asks, a wire between his teeth. “Maybe if you say it out loud to me, it’ll make it easier to say it out loud to others.”

“It’s just…” Peter sighs, “It’s dumb.”

“It isn’t.”

“You know, how, like, some people get triggered-triggered? Like with panic attacks and stuff? And when people are saying stuff like that as a joke, it makes it harder to say it to your therapist. And besides, it just—it feels wrong. Like it’s not—that’s not what being triggered _is_. And then when you ask them to stop it’s like—you’re overreacting. Because language is constantly changing and adapting and now triggered _does_ kind of have a new meaning so I feel like I’m overreacting and—“

“Chill, kid,” Tony chucks a juice box at Peter’s head. “It’s okay if something makes you feel uncomfortable.”

“But everyone else is okay with it.”

“Well, is everyone else Spider-man?” Tony asks.

“It’s _different_ , Mr. Stark.”

“Don’t undermine your problems just because they aren’t supernatural in nature,” Tony pulls the wire from his teeth and solders it onto the frame of—whatever he’s building, “It doesn’t have to be something big to be something—well, big.”

“That makes no sense.”

“Are you sassing me?”

“…A little.”

“ _God_. Sassing me. Who taught you this?”

“You did, Mr. Stark.”

“Shut up and drink your juice.”

Peter laughs and does so, slurping loudly to irritate Tony. “I get that I can’t stop everyone from saying it, and it’s part of the English language now—so it just feels dumb that I don’t like it.”

“Well, stop feeling that,” Tony says, “Feelings are natural and shi—stuff. Stuff.” He frowns, “I didn’t swear, right?”

“No, Mr. Stark,” Peter bites back a grin.

“Good. Great. Get that blue wire for me, will you?”

**Author's Note:**

> *insert something encouraging*


End file.
